Water in this stage has coalesced back together in the atmosphere due to condensation and lost its battle with gravity. It falls back to Earth in liquid form (rain) or solid form (ice and snow).
Rainfall does not occur in the same patterns all over the Earth. The amount of rainfall an area gets is determined by many factors from topography (the shape and features of different areas of the Earth), wind patterns, and latitude. Click on the Rain Patterns link to explore this and desert formation in more detail.
From rainfall, water either accumulates on or under the surface of the land, joins up with other faster moving runoff water and flows to the ocean, or it joins directly with the ocean if the rain fell on the ocean's surface.
This stage of the water cycle delivers freshwater from its sources, mainly oceans and lakes, to the terrestrial environment.
Go to the Rain Patterns page and learn the terms and processes there and be prepared to answer questions pertaining to it.
